Thailand’s Sarunrak Vitidsarn and India’s Ginpaul Sonna ruled their respective divisions Sunday in the Philippine International Challenge at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

But it took them three games to rule the men’s and women’s classes in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Vitidsarn weathered a spirited comeback from top seed Tidapron Kleebyeesun before pulling away in the deciding game for a 21–9, 21–23, 21–16 victory after one hour of play, securing her first title at this level.

“When I came here, I was really expecting to land at least in the quarterfinals because the past four tournaments I got into the quarterfinals. And in all those tournaments, I lost in the quarterfinals. But when I went past that in this tournament, I took it one by one, point by point,” said the 19-year-old.

The younger sister of men’s singles world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn hopes the milestone marks the beginning of carving out her own legacy.

“This is my first time winning an IC, so I’m happy and grateful for the hard work I put in, and I thank myself for not giving up,” she added.

In the men’s singles final, Sonna surged ahead early in the deciding game and never relinquished control, defeating fellow Indian Aryamann Tandon, 25–23, 13–21, 21–16, in a thrilling 55-minute encounter.

“For quite a long time I was looking for a good performance, and this is more than expected. I didn’t expect to win this tournament, but it was an exciting process, a way fun one. So, I feel really good winning this competition,” Sonna said.

After winning titles at home, the 20-year-old from Delhi hopes this long-awaited international triumph serves as a springboard for greater success abroad.